"We are not naïve,” he said. “We don’t believe that the election of a new U.S. president will necessarily bring about huge changes. But if there’s an opportunity, we will definitely not give it up.”Lin Fei-fan is a "protest leader" in Taiwan, quoted in a NYT article titled "Taiwan Is Both Exhilarated and Unnerved by Trump’s China Remarks."
December 15, 2016
"But sitting at a Taipei cafe behind a laptop computer with a sticker that read, 'When dictatorship is a fact, revolution is a duty'..."
"Mr. Lin acknowledged that Mr. Trump was an unlikely and perhaps unreliable ally."
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I'm exhilarated too. It is about time we bagan having relations with Taiwan. Who the Hell is China to tell us who we can work with?
Interestingly enough, a few days after the conversation Foxconn which has 1.3mm employees and perhaps a million in China, announced that it would likely be building plants in the US.
Foxconn is a Taiwanese company.
For all the blather about Trump not knowing what he was doing by "making" the call, as was originally reported, there is quite a backstory. Negotiations had been going on for about 6 months between the Taiwan govt and the Trump campaign. Robert Dole, as a Taiwanese lobbyist was facilitating the talks.
Contrary to the press, Trump didn't make the call, he answered the call from Taiwan's president when it came. Might we expect to see her visiting the White House in 2017? I expect she will enter by the front door if she does come.
Not like President Obama's treatment of the Dalai Lama who was made to sneak in a back entrance to avoid offending the Chinese.
John Henry
An unreliable ally in an unreliable newspaper.
Taiwan is historically a Chinese provence, if you count a total of 12 years as historical.
rhhardin said...
"Taiwan is historically a Chinese provence, if you count a total of 12 years as historical."
Twelve years?
Taiwan will always be China's Little Girl.
I am Laslo.
He is no fool. DJT is not going to "put Taiwan first."
"You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and
Skip out for beer during commercials,
Because the revolution will not be televised."
Gil Scott-Heron did not foresee the iPhone.
I am Laslo.
Interesting times coming, as the left panics.
Ingrid Bergman Unfinished Script “Wheat and Oranges” —Excerpt”
“Olaf, your hand is shaking.”
“It is this bowl of soup, Sven. It is this bowl of pitiful radish soup.”
“I sense revolution in the air, Olaf. The smell mingles with the smoke of the chimneys and the urine in the street.”
“It is always time to prepare for revolution, Sven, but the time of revolution itself never comes: the days are too dark and cold, and there is not enough wheat.”
“Wheat, Olaf?”
“You can fight a revolution without oranges, Sven, but you cannot fight without wheat. Not that it matters, anyway.”
“It doesn’t matter, Olaf?”
“The only True Revolution is one against God.”
“Revolution? Against God? Surely you jest, Olaf.”
“It is God who puts the radishes in my soup, Sven. An Uncaring God, with naught but radishes.”
“Perhaps I shall just write of revolution, Olaf. A futile exercise for the long dark winter.”
“Without wheat, it is all that one can do, Sven: eat radishes and write of a revolution that will never come.”
“I wish I had your unshakeable sense of despair, Olaf.”
“It is what God has given me, Sven, if only there was a God.”
“Perhaps I shall wander out into the snowy forest and lose my way, beneath an uncaring sky.”
“Walk barefoot, Sven: walk barefoot…”
I am Laslo.
Ah what the heck. This guy is concerned that the USA might be an unreliable allyu?
Wake up and smell the oolong buddy! The world has just had 8 years of experience with the USA being an unreliable ally. Will it get better under Trump? Well better for some and worse for others--that's the ticket.
""Mr. Lin acknowledged that Mr. Trump was an unlikely and perhaps unreliable ally." "We are not naïve,” he said. “We don’t believe that the election of a new U.S. president will necessarily bring about huge changes." Mr. Lin is right to be cautious, but not about Trump so much as about the U.S. The real lesson of Iraq, and the fundamental O legacy, is that any GOP president gain can be undone by a faithless Dem, that no US ally should put any stock in the long-term commitments of the U.S. since the next lefty Dem can always stiff them.
"DJT is not going to "put Taiwan first."" But he may use Taiwan first.
"He is no fool. DJT is not going to "put Taiwan first.""
Something doesn't have to be first to be part of a deal.
I believe that Laslo meant this to be Ingmar rather than Ingrid Bergman's unfinished script. Ingrid never once doubted the existence of God. Only someone with true religious convictions could give such inspiring portrayals of nuns and of St. Joan........It would take a technologically sophisticated country like Taiwan about two weeks to develop a nuclear weapon. If China wishes to stop the spread of nuclear weapons they should stifle talk of repatriating their lost province by military force.
William said...
"I believe that Laslo meant this to be Ingmar rather than Ingrid Bergman's unfinished script."
Ingmar is correct. Brain went on auto-pilot.
I am Laslo.
NYT, always wanting to have its cake and eat it too... "okie okie... they're happy about it... but can't we say they're not sure also? After all, nobody knows what the future will bring? Do it. OMG, "exhilarated"? You really have to use that? Fine, FU, but gimme strong on the neg... beat it a-man."
Gil Scott-Heron
Always reminds me of first week in law school. A classmate came up to me and said "What's the word?" The reply "Johannesburg" clued him in, he told me later, that I was a cool dude.
Wilbur's not considered so cool nowadays.
The people I met while working in Taiwan were wonderfully open about their own government, and even more open about the oppressive cloud hanging over every day of their lives, the communist empire to their west.
I wish them luck in the future. May they live in non-interesting times.
Laslo, great parody of Bergman. Ingmar, that is. You actually write a better script, although it's hard to know how much of his is lost in the translation.
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